From Moms Rising (https://www.momsrising.org/):
Airplane bathrooms. Parked cars. Utility closets. In a cubicle with absolutely no privacy. These are just some of the places that breastfeeding moms have had to pump breastmilk because they didn’t have access to anything better.
Go to http://action.momsrising.org/sign/support_all_breastfeeding_working_moms_2017 and add your name to our letter calling on Congress to support working moms who don’t have adequate spaces to pump and store breastmilk at work.
We’re going to hand deliver your signatures and more to Congress on Monday, August 7th.
We know that Congress will still be in session, and probably still talking about health care on Monday the 7th, so this is a really powerful time for us to make this delivery! Make sure your name is included!
Right now 60% of moms find themselves pumping in less than ideal places (like in a coat check closet?!?!). [1] It shouldn’t have to be that way and working together we can help change it!
That’s why MomsRising launched #IPumpedHere, a “laugh (so you don’t cry) and then demand change” campaign to bring breastfeeding women out of the bathroom stalls, inside from the cars, and into the pumping rooms they deserve.
From Twitter to Instagram to Facebook, moms across the country have been using #IPumpedHere to share photos and the stories of places they’ve pumped.
MomsRising Member Alicia, shared this photo with us using #IPumpedHere on twitter:
She shared this photo and said that while she worked at a large national bank she pumped in a storage closet that she could only awkwardly access by walking through a large conference room full of people with her pumping equipment.
With National Breastfeeding Month, August, just around the corner it’s time to take Alicia’s story and all the stories, pictures, and YOUR signatures to the Halls of Congress to demand change.
Right now many moms plan to breastfeed but hit seemingly insurmountable hurdles when they return to work—and three-quarters of moms are either the primary or co-breadwinner these days, returning to work is a big deal. Sadly returning to work is too often a significant barrier to breastfeeding, putting moms at risk. [2]
The simple truth is that not everyone has the time or place to pump. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), women that work an hourly job and some salaried workers must be provided with a reasonable break time to express breast milk up to one year after birth and a place, other than a bathroom, where she can pump. [3]
This excludes millions of breastfeeding moms and, with talks of the ACA being repealed, things could get dicey for everyone.
On Monday, August 7th MomsRising volunteers will hand deliver to Congress the pictures, stories and signatures of our members across the country who want to make sure that breastfeeding and pumping moms can come out of the bathroom stalls and into the pumping rooms they deserve.
Together we can bring women out of the bathroom stalls and into the pumping rooms they deserve!
P.S. Be sure to check out IPumpedHere.org to see our hilarious videos, find out more information about your pumping rights, and see even more pictures from moms across the country. Add your own pics by using the hashtag #IPumpedHere and sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
[1] Univ. of Minnesota Academic Health Center National Study [2] Surgeon’s General Call to Action on Breastfeeding [3] Break Time for Nursing Mothers under the FLSA
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